An artist residency program describes a scenario where creative people are invited to apply for time and space away from home in order to observe, experiment, research, and investigate various forms of creative productions. The Seashore artist residency program, themed “Clean Goa, was precisely that!
The inviting beaches gifted with natural beauty , Portuguese architecture , streamlined boats , aroma of the Goan cuisine filled the air as 14 creative minds came together at the Agonda holiday home resort owned by Mr Agnelo Fernandes !
The 3-day program brought together artists from Kerala, Mumbai , Chennai , Pune , and Hyderabad. Filled with fun , laughter and sheer innocence, the program was stupendously curated by Smruti Sirsat, an artist, Gallerist and founder of the Art Revolution.
The jugalbandhi of talents present were , Rachana Ramdas – Mohiniattam dancer , Renuka .C.shekhar founder of “CLIMATE ” a Green fashion movement, Tanvi Shekhar, Ritto Louis, Bipin Gopidas – ambassadors of “Climate “, Felix justin – musician , Surya Joka – a student of engineering and visual artist , Vijay Raghavan – artist,art educator, and curator , Mr. Manoharan-founder of Ajanta school of arts , Aanand and Venkat multitalented artists , Girija kondedeshmukh- visual artist and myself Diana shatish – Artist , Art educator, Chapter head for Indian Arts Association.
It was a pleasant day with meager fluctuations in the temperature, relaxed and lovely, set an artistic mood almost instantly !
The evening started by a mesmerizing performance by Rachna Ramdas who enticed us with her graceful moves followed by a powerful speech and a campaign march led by Renuka C. Shekhar . Renuka is the founder of CLIMATE , an innovative green fashion initiative and an ardent supporter of various social causes.She states that Minimalistic living and sustainability are the hallmarks of this project . “ Goa is one among many spaces that is facing issues with littering on the beaches , hence the “Clean Goa “ is apt in every sense . I was delighted to meet like-minded people at the camp “ says Renuka with a content smile .
“The residency program was well conceptualised on the concept of Clean Goa focussing on the ecological issues in today’s context .Apart from creating magnificent artworks , the artists engaged themselves in the “Clean Goa campaign as well.This cohesive experience leads to further exploration of creative dialogues that serves the purpose of critically visual converse in the times we live in “ quotes Vijay Raghavan . While Bipin all in his jolly vibe says “ “it was one of the most memorable 3 days of my life. I met many artists and they inspired me a lot . We instantly became a family and it was a great experience “
A special mention to Surya and Tanvi, the youngest of the lot who kept feeding our souls with their rainbows like happiness and Joy , bouncing off of their energies all along “
Utter absence of unnecessary distractions, the magical beaches , the enchanting landscapes , the tiny birds which came to peck on the little crabs were the main source s of inspiration ! It resulted in an explosion of new works and we hope that it will propel all of our practices for the foreseeable future !
Curators Note : “This program was intended for artists to enhance their creativity and also to refresh their minds after two years of personal and financial losses due to the COVID 19 pandemic . I also intend to bring in many more such programs which will serve as a ray of hope for the artists for new beginnings “ —– Smruti on a humanitarian note .
The program was overall seminal in terms of the trajectory of all of our professions and towards our own individual paths that we proceed to take . ! Now that is a perfect wrap before the year ends !
